


Warm Touch

by Lunardances



Category: Rozen Maiden, Rozen Maiden 0
Genre: F/F, Kissing, Secret Ending, human/doll relationship, no warnings to avoid spoilers but lore from the second manga comes up, the topic of groping comes up but nothing happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23777281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunardances/pseuds/Lunardances
Summary: (Post-Rozen Maiden 0's ending) If you get too close to the fire you burn. Souseiseki experiences this in a non-literal way. I don't know how to write good summaries.
Relationships: Hana/Souseiseki (Rozen Maiden)
Kudos: 5





	Warm Touch

**Author's Note:**

> The thing with Souseiseki's character is that her expressions are drawn very subtle. I can't transfer this to text very well so she might speak a bit more bluntly and just more often in general.

Hana was in good spirits returning home today. A fresh paycheck meant the ability to buy more clothes and she had done just that. Western clothes, more _modern_ clothes. While shopping she had interest in a small light blue blanket. She had to stop and think if dolls could even get cold, and if so, would Souseiseki want it?

Now, with her cargo of clothes and blanket, she’s made it home.

She slid open the door to the sight of a clean room, dinner already prepared-

“Welcome home, master”.

-And Souseiseki waiting patiently from her case.

“You did everything I would have needed to do again”, Hana stated as she slid the door closed and set her bag down. 

The doll smiled, “It makes you happy, and that’s enough to make me happy”. Hana raised a hand to cover the blush creeping on. 

“T-Thank you”, Hana weakly stated as she sunk to the floor. Souseiseki took a spot beside her. 

“How was work today?”.

“Not bad”.

Souseiseki smiled, “So that’s good”.

“Oh, Souseiseki!”, Hana began, “I did my usual shopping today”.

“More clothes?”.

“Yes. And also”, she grinned, “I got you something”. She brought out the small blanket.

Souseiseki inspected it, taking the item into her hands. She carefully felt the fabric, slipping the cloth between her fingers. Testing it, she draped it upon her shoulders and let the fabric envelope her. “Thank you, master”.

“It’s such a shame though, that shade doesn’t suit you”, Hana said as she leaned back.

Souseiseki stood up grabbing the cloth with both her hands to prevent it from falling off, “It’s only a color. The gift is fine”.

The human sighed, “You’re right, at least the shape looks good on you. It’s not too big or small. Actually, when you stand with it like that it almost looks like a long cape with how it goes right to the floor”.

“My outfit already has one”.

“It’s not nearly as long as this blanket makes it look”.

“That’s right, too”.

Hana thought for a few moments, “It almost makes you look like royalty. In other lands if you had a cape that long you’d be royalty and you’d have servants carry the end for you so it didn’t get dirty”.

The doll tilted her head to the side, “Why would they want a cape so long they need help moving around with it?”.

Hana scoffed, “It’s a statement, Souseiseki. You don’t _need_ something so impractical, you want it _because_ it’s impractical”.

“Is that really it?”.

“Yeah, let me show you what a statement feels like. Turn around”. Souseiseki did as instructed while Hana got to her feet. Hana grabbed the ends of the blanket, “Keep hold on the blanket and walk forward”.

Souseiseki nodded, “Ok, master”, as she began to move forward while Hana’s gaze focused at the blanket below. Hana naturally found this an extra challenge to pull off as the doll was just slightly less than half her own height. Thankfully the height differences between them also meant Souseiseki wasn’t about to walk so quick Hana couldn’t keep up. All too quickly, Hana found that the doll had stopped. “Master?”.

“Yes?”, Hana looked forward to see the other end of the room.

“This is as far as we can move forward”, Souseiseki stated. 

“Oh, you took things literally again”.

“Sorry, did you want me to walk any other direction?”.

Hana nodded in disagreement, “No, only if you want to. Do you think you get what a statement is now? Just imagine that there was people watching and everything”.

Souseiseki was quiet for a moment. “A statement… feels ridiculous. Maybe that is the appeal”.

The human let out a sigh, “Well, that’s one way to think about it”.

“I’m sorry, was that the wrong answer?”.

“Oh, never-mind that”.

“So are you upset with my answer?”. 

“No Souseiseki, just don't worry over it!”.

“Understood, master. However, perhaps now would be a good time to talk".

Hana's expression was soft, "about what?".

Souseiseki held the blanket, "you said this was a blanket, not a cape"

"Yeah".

She gave the blanket a pat, "what is the use of a blanket exactly?".

"It… Well it…", she faltered, "we wear them indoors when it's cold to keep body heat on us".

"...Body heat?".

Hana's fears were confirmed in an instant. "Oh, I knew you wouldn't have a use for it!", she wailed at the ceiling above. 

"Master, what is body heat?", Souseiseki said as she came closer to Hana in curiosity. 

"Your doll body doesn't produce heat, does it?", Hana asked.

The doll took a hand to her chest, "No, I don't believe so". 

"Have you ever felt the warmth in a human's touch?". 

"Warmth", Souseiseki said like she was tasting this word. Her eyes creased in thought, "human touch is warm… I've felt it before… Not often, but I remember it now…". 

"We're warm, so we wear clothing and blankets to keep the warmth with us when it is cold", Hana stated, "since you don't make it yourself, let me give you a little warmth". She offered a hand to Souseiseki who looked at it with interest. 

Souseiseki took Hana’s hand with her own. She gazed with interest, "what would you like me to do with your hand?".

"Oh! Um, feel it. You should be able to feel my body heat that way", Hana said while looking at the displayed body part. 

The doll looked at the hand again and explored it with her own hands. The temperature of the body part was indeed warm. She could feel a deeper warmth beneath Hana's fingertips and once she felt the palm she noticed a greater warmth.

If she had breath, it would've caught as a sensation crept up within her. As she rested her hands within Hana's palm, a desire to know this heat further was all she wanted to do now. There was only one place on her body more exposed than her hands…

For Hana the moment proved almost ticklish but she didn't mind indulging her doll companion in knowledge of the human condition. Hands against hand felt good, but all of a sudden the doll pressed her face into Hana's palm. "H-Hey! What are you doing?", she exclaimed.

"I remember now", said Souseiseki with her voice muffled from the press, "I remember your heat. When you held me I could feel it, but I never asked about it then". She looked at Hana's face and took a hand to Hana's dress, "I'd like to feel that again". Taking the blanket around her, she grabbed Hana's arm. "You'll let me feel your body heat better won't you?", she asked.

"I- Ok?!", Hana blurted out. 

Souseiseki looked her dead in the eyes causing Hana to panic a bit more. The doll felt her cheek, "your face is much warmer than your hand…". The doll explored a bit more, finding the temperatures of Hana's forehead and jaw. 

Her hands went lower, finding the warmth of Hana's neck. Souseiseki said nothing as she let her hands warm on Hana's neck. Hana felt a literal chill go down her neck as Souseiseki's cold palms warmed. 

"Humans can be fascinating…", blankly stated Souseiseki in observation. She was aware of even greater warmth coming from even lower. 

Hana's breath caught as she felt Souseiseki's hands begin to explore her upper torso. She could see Souseiseki now exploring the exposed skin around the neckline of her dress. Her face flushed red as she realized where further touching would be. 

She grabbed the doll by the shoulders, forcing her away, "S-stop! If you really wanted to do that with me then just be upfront about it!". 

"What?".

"Was it your plan all along to take advantage of me like that? Y-you don’t need to… to do that!”.

“Master?”, Souseiseki’s eyes widened in confusion, “what do you mean?”.

Hana huffed, “that wasn’t honest exploration was it!”. 

Souseiseki’s gaze fell, “I don’t understand, it was”.

“It was?!”.

“Yes”.

Hana took a moment to collect herself. Was what Souseiseki said true? “Oh, well… Well, you’re so human-like but I guess maybe you don’t exactly have a libido to b-begin…”. Souseiseki only looked on in confusion and immediately Hana knew her answer. “Look!”, Hana exclaimed, flushing red again, “I’m sorry I accused you of that, but you did cross a line!”.

"So you are only comfortable with me touching your arms and face?".

Hana gave this a brief moment to consider. "Yeah, we'll go with that", she held her arm out again, "are you done?".

"Understood and no, I'm not done yet", said Souseiseki as she gently grabbed Hana's arm. 

Souseiseki took hold of Hana's wrist and pressed it to her chest. She closed her eyes focusing on the heat it provided. A sigh escaped her lips. 

"Hey", Hana interjected, "are you sure you're just exploring?". 

Souseiseki smiled, "yes, your warmth is something I will treasure". 

Hana wasn't sure what to say to this, so she just grinned back. 

Souseiseki looked at her face with interest again. She reached her hand out briefly for Hana's attention and upon receiving it she let go of Hana's wrist and got a grip on Hana's face. The doll went over Hana's temperatures again.

"Hmm, you feel warmer now", Souseiseki observed.

"Because you got too handsy earlier!". 

"Oh? I'm surprised that would make you warmer…".

Souseiseki looked her in the eyes with a soft expression. Her hands softly gripped Hana's jawline. 

Hana's eyes met with Souseiseki's. She was very suddenly reminded of how close they were. Souseiseki's eyes were suddenly much more mesmerizing than usual. Hana's breath caught and a blush crossed her face.

Souseiseki took notice and felt Hana's cheeks in curiosity, "Hmm, you got a little warmer…". 

"S-sorry!", Hana sputtered out, "I… how do I put this?...".

"Hmm?". 

She closed her eyes, "you're… very… attractive…". 

Souseiseki's head tilted, "you think that?". 

Hana looked her in the face, "handsome, even".

The doll faintly smiled, "I'm always described so boyishly. Even with you, I can't escape this". 

Hana looked at her with knowing eyes, “how would you describe me?”.  
  
“You? You’re a hard worker. You’re also so perspective-”.

Hana flushed red again, “I- I didn’t mean what you thought of my personality!”. She partially covered her mouth with a hand, “though, t-that was flattering…”. To clear her thoughts, she shook her head, “what I meant to ask was how you would describe my appearance”.  
  
“Oh…”, Souseiseki tilted her head in thought over this, “master is pretty”.

“Yes”.

“Beautiful?”. 

“Yeah, that’s what I’m looking for”.

“...Strange”.

Hana huffed, “I beg your pardon? That’s new”.

“That was about your clothes”.

“Ah, right”, Hana began, “but pretty and beautiful are words I hear all the time and you’d think I’d have better luck with romance because of that…”.

Souseiseki took a moment to process this, “oh, like how I’m described… I’m called handsome but I’m not a boy… Master is called pretty but is… unlucky?”.

“It’s not exactly the same thing, but there’s common ground if you catch what I mean. If you don’t want me calling you boyish terms anymore I’ll stop”, Hana stated.

“I… I think I’d like that…”, Souseiseki replied, uncertain, “should I stop calling you pretty, master?”.

"Actually", Hana's smile was warm, "if it's you saying that, I don't mind".

Souseiseki was quiet for a short moment, "then I will speak truthfully. Master is pretty and master has a gentle warmth that I like".

Hana giggled, "I like you too, but you already knew that". She wrapped her arms around the doll, "when I hear you say that I know it's genuine… Hey, if you like my warmth so much then let me show you this". 

"What is it?". 

Hana's gaze was soft, "I know you don't have a heart, but maybe I could light a fire in that rosa mystica of yours…".

"What are you talking about?". Souseiseki's question would go unanswered as Hana connected their lips in kiss. Souseiseki's eyes widened in shock as they stared into Hana's as though asking. Hana raised an arm so that it could better support Souseiseki's upper half and pressed them closer together. Hana's eyes closed and soon too did Souseiseki's as the doll discovered what Hana meant, there was something very warm about this kind of kiss and it wasn’t just the body heat being shared.

Hana broke the kiss, pulling away as Souseiseki wrestled with a new sensation. She was parted from Hana now, but the sensation of being hot still lingered. The air should have dropped her body’s temperature back to room temperature but curiously her chest felt warm. However, touching it yielded no such warmth. She was aware that her face also felt warm and touching it too yielded no warmth. “I… What’s wrong with me?”. 

“Wrong?”.

Souseiseki met eyes again with Hana, “I still feel warm… What you were saying, what did you do to my rosa mystica? It feels warm”.

Hana’s mouth gaped in shock, “wow, um… That was just a metaphor, I didn’t think that’d actually happen”.

“Master… What did you do to me?”.

“Go look in the mirror and figure that out for yourself”.

“The mirror…?”, Souseiseki looked over at the mirror. What caught her attention was how unusually flushed her face was. She stared at her own reflection in bewilderment. How could a simple action make her so confused and hot?

She looked back at Hana, “did you redo the kiss of the contract somehow? Why did you kiss me?".

Hana looked back at her and, with almost no hint of emotion, said, “I kissed you because I like you. That’s what a kiss on the lips means”.

"Then why am I-".

"Do you want to kiss again?". 

Souseiseki froze. Doing that again? The idea made her head spin.

"Sorry master but I'll have to decline". She and Hana stared at each other until Souseiseki suddenly turned away, gripping her chest, "even looking at you now makes me hot…".

“I’m surprised, we solved mysteries together and yet you can’t figure your feelings out”, said Hana who proceeded to set a hand down on Souseiseki’s shoulder. Souseiseki’s voice cracked in alarm and she flinched from the touch. 

“Look, can you answer me something”, began Hana, “is this… really the first time this has happened to you?”.

Souseiseki looked away. Was it? Now that she thought of it.

“Because I’ve felt the same way about you for a long time”, Hana finished. 

Souseiseki looked at her in confusion, “you have?”.

Hana nodded, “when we talk sometimes there’s a burning feeling that blossoms in me. Sometimes, it comes out in e-embarrassing…”. 

Souseiseki watched in further confusion as Hana’s face flushed red, “...master?”.

Hana attempted to cover her blush with a hand, “l-like now. Oh dear, phrasing it like that is just so… embarrassing”. 

“Wait, your feelings for me do that?”, Souseiseki’s eyes widened as the realization hit, “so, my feelings for you are why I feel this way?”.

“I’m not going to answer that for you, Souseiseki. I’ve told you why I feel that way, you can use that and figure yourself out”, Hana sighed.

The doll was quiet for a bit, “I think… I have felt like this for you in the past…”.

Hana’s interest perked, “really?”.

“Yeah… Those moments of gratitude… There might’ve been a deeper meaning I wasn’t fully aware of”, began Souseiseki, “please give me a moment, master…”.

Hana said nothing and held a smile. Souseiseki was quiet and Hana watched as her face narrowed in concentration. A moment passed.

Finally, Souseiseki looked at her, “was that love? I’m not sure if a Rozen Maiden is capable of that”.

"It is whatever you say it is, love or otherwise", Hana replied. 

They were both quiet for a few moments more. Within Hana, a sort of tension grew. She was sure that she loved the doll, she'd even shouted so, but did Souseiseki like her back? She had assumed so, but it seemed soon she'd have her answer but the wait up to this point was intense. She shot a glance at the doll in concern.

Souseiseki turned back to her, "master?".

"Yes?".

The doll got up, "I think I have something to show you". She stood before Hana and craned her head closer to Hana's. 

"W-what is it?".

Souseiseki said nothing and finally bridged the gap between their faces. Their lips connected again, which alarmed Hana by the suddenness of it.

The kiss was brief and left Hana feeling a fresh wave of being flushed. “S-So, does that mean you like me too?”, she said covering her mouth with a hand. 

Souseiseki nodded. She knelt to the ground taking Hana’s free hand into her own, “I’ll treasure what I’ve learned here today, thank you”.

Hana smiled and then noticed the blanket, which had been discarded at some point, “oh, my gift…”.

The doll’s eyes followed and she picked up the blanket, “I have a request”.

“And that is?”.

Souseiseki draped the blanket around her, “can you share your body heat with me again?”.

“If I can fit in with you under that…”, said Hana who took one side of the cloth and sat down next to Souseiseki. With Hana taking one side, Souseiseki took hold of the other side. The blanket barely managed to cover them both with them pressed up together. Souseiseki smiled and Hana freed the arm not holding the blanket to hold Souseiseki close with it. 

The doll sighed, “I like this, and I like you”.

Hana smiled, "I'm glad to hear that". She removed Souseiseki's hat so she could gently rest her head on the doll's head.

Souseiseki was quiet again. She enjoyed this immensely, but she was suddenly aware of the lasting impact this would have on them. Feelings of worry bubbled up.

"Hmm? You've been quiet", Hana observed.

Souseiseki was silent again, "...how long do you think we can stay like this?”.

Hana yawned, “not much longer, it’s going to be time for sleep soon”.

“Oh, what I meant was how long we could live together. At some point we’ll have to part”, Souseiseki looked off.

Confusion and panic set in, “wait, why? You’re not going to play with my heart and just leave me like this?”.

“At some point, if our contract is broken through voluntary means or upon your death, our paths part and I will go to a new master”, Souseiseki stated.

“Oh… right”, Hana said downtrodden, “because you’re a doll and I’m-”.

“Human”, Souseiseki finished, “you have a lifespan and I do not”.

Hana huffed, “I’m a moga, the present is all I care about. We’re together here right now aren’t we? Isn’t that all that matters?”.

Souseiseki was silent in consideration of this. “I see…”, she said and pressed deeper into Hana’s side.

* * *

It was nighttime at the Rose Mansion, a time and place Souseiseki found herself at uncomfortably often. Below the roof she perched on, the roses were in bloom and the trees bearing fruit. The history this place held for her was immense at this point and she found herself thinking back on the past from this vantage point. The moon illuminated her small figure.

Below her, a shadow caught her eye and for a moment it reminded her of something. Several more shadows joined in and suddenly a scene from the past was uncovered in her mind. Three humans were out on a lawn less populated with roses than it was now. She could remember herself and Suiseiseki and several of their other sisters joining them for tea. A human gave her a small doll-sized cup. 

_Master…_

The day that she and Hana parted came and went. She’d since had several other masters. Though much had happened recently, all of her masters since then were all still alive, but Hana, she assumed, was lost to time. 

She was starting to wonder about Hana’s lack of concern for the future. Between them, only Souseiseki remained now. Hana’s present was now Souseiseseki’s past. All she had left from those times were memories and that now familiar warmth she felt thinking about her. Was it selfish to think that she should’ve buried these feelings long ago if it meant not having to feel like this for the rest of her existence, however long that ended up being? She wasn’t sure how to answer this, or if she even could.

Though, she considered, Hana gave up her claim to normal human life when she confessed her feelings. Humans, what did humans do? They worked, married, had kids, grew old, died. By choosing Souseiseki, Hana gave up several notable milestones in a human's life. Indeed, in the years they spent together, Hana remained loyal to Souseiseki and thus never had the chance to start a family with another human. There were also other things due to Souseiseki's doll nature they were generally unable to do, such as much human activity together. Hana traded many experiences she would've had if not for Souseiseki. Souseiseki supposed that, in turn, it was only fair that she deal with the loss of Hana for the rest of her existence. 

She sighed and Lempika, taking notice of the troubled state of her master, bobbed around her in worry.

"Lempika, are you concerned over me?", asked Souseiseki. 

Lempika, being truthful, bobbed up and down.

Souseiseki offered the floating light a small smile, "I'm not ok, but I will be. Did you keep the glove from back then?".

Lempika bobbed again and summoned one of Hana's gloves, her only physical memory of Hana. It was a glove from the time when they first met. The glove's mate at some point over the years got lost and Souseiseki decided to keep the remaining one in Lempika's inventory.

Souseiseki took the glove and pressed it against her cheek. If she imagined hard enough, she could almost feel warmth from it like how Hana's hands felt. 

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't really have anything profound to say during the ending. Souseiseki's hard on herself but that's just what happens during her thought process.
> 
> I didn't intend to write a downer ending from the beginning, it evolved naturally as the fic went on. I guess the problem with Peach-Pit writing all this backstory material during and after the end of the main manga is that since none of it gets brought up the future that is the main manga it just leaves you wondering sad thoughts about the dolls. Granted, the backstory lightnovels take place during the main manga with the meat of them set way back in the past, but these characters and events never get brought up in the main manga itself. Suiseiseki and Souseiseki never mention Leos and Rudolph (from Zwillinge) or Kiku and Hana (from Rozen Maiden 0). Shinku and Suigintou never mention Alice or Mary (from Rot-Schwarz). So much material that ultimately has little lasting effect on these characters.
> 
> But I guess, that's where fic comes in. Connecting these points together leads to new interpretations of character and interaction. Such as, I think at some point I was going to use this fic as a vehicle to explore the idea of Souseiseki's interest in Suigintou and Megu being rooted in her experiences with Hana (the manga went with her experience with Suiseiseki, which I can understand why, but now that Rozen Maiden 0 exists introducing Hana who loves Souseiseki romantically you can't tell me it was JUST Suiseiseki, Hana ultimately makes more sense), but with what I had, it would've felt hamfisted. Perhaps at some point in the future I'll attempt to explore this and similar ideas. There's a lot left to explore in this series.


End file.
